Militia, << muh LIHSH uh, >> is a group of able-bodied citizens who possess some military training and who are obligated to serve in a crisis, such as a war or a natural disaster. For some countries, militias were historically used only for local defense. But for others, they were sometimes used to fight wars in foreign countries.
The hoplites of ancient Greece were an early form of militia. In Anglo-Saxon England, men were required to serve in a militia called the fyrd. Other European communities during the Middle Ages (about the 400’s through the 1400’s), had similar militia systems. Militias were commonplace in Asian and African societies, particularly in times of political turmoil. Switzerland established a militia system in 1291. This system, in modified form, still provides for the country’s defense. Each of the original 13 American Colonies required its male citizens to train in the militia. Militiamen made up much of the colonial army that fought in the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783). Today, the United States militia includes National Guard and military reserve forces (see National Guard ).
Some groups call themselves militias even though they are not organized by any government. In Lebanon, for example, private militias did much of the fighting between Christians and Muslims in the mid-1970’s and the 1980’s. After a civil war destroyed the central government of Somalia in the 1990’s, clan militias took control of many parts of the country. In the United States, certain right-wing groups called militias conduct military exercises. These groups object to many forms of government control in their lives. Some are white supremacist groups, who oppose racial equality.
